YESTERDAY was a national holiday, but one could bet that everyone, except some faculty of the University, completely forgot about it. And who can blame one for forgetting, especially in the state of Virginia, the only place where the illustrious Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is garnished in remembrance of two Confederate "heroes." Even though we thankfully no longer share Lee/Jackson/King Day, the stigma of Southern pride and massive resistance are not so easily forgotten when Lee/Jackson Day is officially the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. So if you weren't able to celebrate the Lee/Jackson/King holiday with a rebel yell followed by a rendition of "I Have A Dream," no one should really be that disappointed, right? Down in Georgia, this seems to be the case.
Last Wednesday, January 15 was Martin Luther King Jr.'s 74th birthday. The day before, approximately 300 protestors marked his birthday as they marched en route to the Georgia state capitol. Reminiscent of the protests Dr. King led, the marcher's signs and voices merged to announce their slogan, "Let us vote." What is the catch? These protestors, seemingly following in the steps of Dr. King, were, in reality, white and dressed in gray Confederate uniforms. Most significantly they were bearing the former Georgia state flag, originally adopted in defiance to the desegregation of schools and the budding civil rights movement -- this was the motive of protest. Talk about a spirit of peacefulness and remembrance.
So this is what it comes down to: a flag. Two years ago the Georgia state flag, a center of controversy and in use since 1956, was modified so that the presence of the Confederate stars and bars was much less prominent. The flag was designed, approved and pushed through state legislature without much opposition under a Democratic administration. Today, Sonny Perdue -- the first Republican Governor of Georgia in 130 years -- is pushing for the opportunity for constituents to publicly vote on the issue concerning the flag. In his inaugural address last week, Perdue stated that Martin Luther King Jr. was a man "who called his state, his region and his nation to live up to our central founding premise -- that all men are created equal." Funny he would say that, because his support of the "flaggers," as they are called in Georgia, demonstrates otherwise.
The fact of the matter is that three-fourths of the African-Americans in Georgia said the old flag symbolized oppression and racial division, while the same percentage of whites said it is a symbol of heritage and history. There is clearly a problem within the two meanings and interpretations of the flag to different races, but this is something that needs to be more clearly discussed and provocatively considered. It has been made known that President Bush and his administration advised Perdue to keep this issue out of the public eye until after the 2004 election. Our dear president clearly does not need any more racially tinged decisions occurring anytime soon, especially after the flubs made by Senator Trent Lott last December (The Washington Post, "Cloudy New Day In Georgia," January 17, 2003).
So what is to happen? Most likely, nothing. Another holiday has passed, and too many people just enjoy a day off from work rather than remember the way of life not even a half-century ago. People in this country have grossly distorted the meaning and significance of civil rights and assailed pertinent policies such as affirmative action.
Whether it is a flag or a national holiday, there is still evidence that people belittle the history of minorities in this country and it is a disgusting, disturbing display. At the University, Martin Luther King Day is business as usual with the hustle and bustle of classes and activities. In Georgia, people have the nerve to march in the assumed spirit of Dr. King in order to retain a flag that is both offensive and oppressive to African-American people. And in Virginia, before we think about Dr. King we are expected to pay homage to those historical figures who believed that people with dark skin were inferior and should be enslaved. It is absolutely ridiculous and extremely disrespectful to allow such events and remembrances to take priority to the legacy of Dr. King, mocking such an essential, positive figure in history. Maybe things have not changed since the 1960s as much as one would like to think. Just call it a sign of the times.
(Amey Adkins' column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aadkins@cavalierdaily.com.)
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